When using a website hosting service, people often do not need to concern themselves with managing file storage space as companies typically provide ample space for most websites. However, certain websites may eventually reach the storage limit of their plan.
We are frequently unprepared to address the problem of exceeding file storage limits on hosting services, leading to potential surprise warnings about hitting or nearing the disk space limit. Such notifications can leave users feeling bewildered and unsure of how to resolve the issue.
If you find yourself in that position, don’t worry. There are effective and straightforward methods to free up disk space on your hosting. Discover these techniques in this article.
1. Enhance the images on your website to improve performance.
Images play a crucial role in freeing up disk space on hosting servers as they can be significantly larger than the text on a webpage. On average, a webpage contains about 3 MB of data, with over half of this amount (1.7 MB) being attributed to image files. In contrast, the text content (HTML) only accounts for 27 KB, which is less than 0.3 MB. These figures, although averaged across numerous websites, provide a clear indication of the substantial space that images consume.
It is crucial to be mindful of the images you upload on your website. Optimize them to reduce file size without compromising quality.
Image optimization tools
Image editing software such as Photoshop provides options to export images optimized for the web. In the absence of such software, there are numerous free alternatives available that do not require installation.
- Photopea is an online image editor that is free and comparable to Photoshop. It includes a “export to the web” feature that allows users to adjust the image size and quality.
- Kraken.io is a free online tool for optimizing images, where you can select the compression type, quality, and image size.
- TinyPNG is a free online tool that reduces images in JPG and PNG formats effectively, especially for PNG images, although customization options for file size or quality are limited.
- Bulk Resize Photos is an excellent tool for reducing multiple images in bulk without the need to upload them individually. You can send up to 150 images at once, and the reduction process is done through a browser script. After the reduction, you can download the compressed images in a .zip file.
Free up the storage space occupied by emails.
Some companies combine email services with website hosting, like HostGator. If this applies to you, clearing your inbox can help free up storage space. These tips can also be helpful for freeing up space in any email account, particularly those with storage limits.
Regularly emptying the trash and spam folders is a beneficial habit that can speed up the deletion of unwanted messages typically found there.
If the catch-all or catch-all service is enabled, it is recommended to disable it if not needed. The catch-all feature allows you to receive emails sent to addresses that do not exist in the domain, potentially leading to a buildup of unnecessary messages.
Save emails to your computer
One method to free up space on the email server is to set up a local email program on your computer to remove downloaded messages from the server, such as Outlook or Thunderbird. However, a drawback is the risk of losing messages if your computer malfunctions without a backup.
Downloading emails can also assist with managing large attachments, as they can take up significant space in a single message. It is advisable to back up the messages and delete the original emails from the server if there are particularly large attachments.
Hire an expert email service
One effective method to free up disk space when discussing emails is to use a dedicated professional email service separate from website hosting. This service routes email messages to a different server, minimizing the impact on the website hosting. Professional email services are available through hosting companies or directly from providers like Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace.
Avoid storing videos and audios on your website.
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Inserting videos or audios on your website can enhance the reader’s experience beyond just text and images, but it’s important to be cautious as multimedia content could impact your hosting capabilities.
Videos and audios take up more storage space on the hosting server compared to images, and watching them on your site also uses up part of your hosting’s monthly data transfer allowance, potentially causing slow browsing speeds due to bandwidth consumption.
Utilize a website dedicated to videos and audio content.
Host your videos and audios on external platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and SoundCloud, and then use the embed code to display them on your website. This way, your multimedia content can be present on your site without taking up space on your server.
Using platforms like YouTube for videos has advantages beyond space considerations. The user experience is typically superior compared to self-hosted videos, thanks to the substantial investments made by companies maintaining these sites and continuous improvements to the platform. Additionally, videos may enjoy greater visibility when shared on other platforms, potentially reaching a wider audience through organic discovery in search results related to the content.
Move your backups away from hosting.
Generating a backup in the hosting control panel, such as cPanel, often involves saving a complete account backup in the hosting space.
This feature is very useful but can lead to excessive disk space usage, especially if shared with email accounts. Storing backup files on the hosting server does not guarantee site protection in case of server malfunctions, risking both the site and backups. While many companies provide backup services, the methods and timeliness may vary.
Regularly back up your website and store the backups in a separate location. Ensure to keep a copy of any backup files on your computer or another location, and remove them from the server to free up disk space.
Remove files that are not needed.
Is it possible to delete other files on the server besides the essential site archives in order to free up disk space?
When the server is utilized for sharing files with customers or third parties, it is convenient to upload a file to the hosting space and provide the link for download. Such files are often left on the server without any concern.
Many hosting companies do not allow hosting plans to be used as an archive repository, especially with shared hosting plans that offer unlimited storage. This policy restricts files on the server to be directly related to the website to avoid the risk of account suspension for violating plan terms. However, this rule does not apply to more advanced plans like VPS or dedicated servers, where clients can use the disk space as they see fit.
When space is limited, every Megabyte freed up is valuable. Evaluate server files, remove unnecessary ones after backing up.
Conclusion
With the steps provided, it is feasible to free up disk space and manage its utilization over time by incorporating these practices into a regular routine, with the frequency of these actions being determined on a case-by-case basis.
Depending on the website’s size and how it grows, hosting migration may be an option. Moving to a more spacious plan can help those experiencing issues and have already attempted suggested solutions. By being patient and diligent, the hosting plan’s lifespan can be extended, and the need for an upgrade postponed.
Other aspects of a website can be enhanced to improve performance in various ways, such as speed, resource usage, and user satisfaction. Consider exploring different optimization methods, like utilizing a Content Delivery Network (CDN).
Do you have any additional information that wasn’t included here? Any inquiries? Feel free to leave a comment, and I’d be happy to have a chat!
Published on 03/08/2017 and last updated on 16/06/2023.
Tags: Instructional guides
